Americans United for Separation of Church and State President and CEO Rachel Laser issued the following statement in response to the announcement today that the Supreme Court is refusing to hear City of Ocala, Florida v. Rojas, a case involving the city and its police department organizing and promoting a Christian prayer vigil in conjunction with a local church in 2014:
“This country was founded on the separation of church and state. That principle is a bedrock of our democracy and essential for equality. The City of Ocala blatantly violated this principle and its residents’ religious freedom by promoting certain religious beliefs. The state must never use its power to impose religion on its citizens.
“Justices Gorsuch and Thomas’ statements suggest a willingness to silence voices who speak out against these clear constitutional violations – violations that trample the religious freedom of us all. We must not be silenced. We need a national recommitment to the separation of church and state. Our democracy depends on it.”
Americans United is a religious freedom advocacy organization based in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1947, AU educates Americans about the importance of church-state separation in safeguarding religious freedom.
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